Thursday, April 15, 2010

No recipes to post today. Sometimes I spend my time in the kitchen experimenting. Like today, with french meringue macaron ratios.

Again.

Though 'Eleventybillion' is a bit of an exaggeration, sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

For the last two months I've been baking the occasional batch of french meringue macs and experimenting with the variables. I got caught up with another couple batches today and never got around to the dessert I was going to make for the blog today.

Oops.

I blame the macarons. I ate six and now I don't feel so well. (How do people eat dozens of these in a sitting anyway?!)

Anyway, today one of the things I was experimenting with was grinding my own almond meal. The result: slivered blanched almonds ground with powdered sugar is the easiest way to go.

Weigh out the portion of almond meal and powdered sugar called for in the recipe and grind them together in your food processor for 2-3 minutes. Sift with a medium mesh sieve and repeat until everything slips through.

I'm so scared to try macarons. I have that I heart macaron book but it looks so freaking complicated. I desperately want to try pistachio but when I start to make them, it is like I'm on a line for a six flags coaster that is bound to break down and kill everyone. I admire your bravery.

I just discovered your site, you do amazing work! I was searching for more macaron tips after 2 failed attempts in a week (my very first try at macarons). I was using the myfoodgeek site recipe, which happens to be the same as yours. I had read the Syrup and Tang tips. I was getting unsightly results (mounded, cracked, hollow or sticky bottomed), which my family happily ate anyway (bless 'em). My 7 year old son (always good for a joke) peeked through the oven window and said they looked like exploding volcanoes.Then I found your tips for the double pan and how to recognize good batter. So I skipped sleep and made another batch. Much better, but still cracked. So I let the piped batter sit on the counter until it looked dry (no longer shiny), about 30 min or so, and then put them in the oven, took a seat and watched the magic happen-- macarons with smooth tops and feet! So thank you, thank you, thank you for the help and inspiration. But how do you get the 'feet' so uniform (all the way around) and higher (mine tend to be thin and incomplete around the cookie)?What are your tips for making them all the same size?Is it 'cheating' to let them sit so long that they look dry before baking? I wonder if this step is compensating for/ has the same effect as the 'aging' process for the whites.By the way, I have rarely viewed any blogs and have never followed one, but I had to sign up to follow yours! Thanks again for the excellent work and inspiration to others!

Letting them rest isn't cheating, in fact it is recommended. Particularly in ovens that have strong heat from the bottom. The drying helps the cookie's shell cope with the expansion of the interior as it bakes.

Getting tall feet is a combination of how you mix the batter and temperature. Though, you can get too tall of a foot. I've had some cookies with massive high feet and then they lack anything inside... So there is a happy medium one needs to aim for.

As for developing an even foot all the way around, that requires a bit of trial and error with your own oven. There are so many factors that can produce an uneven foot that it would be difficult to go into here and now.

Tips for making them the same size? Practice. I know it sounds lame but it is true.

Whenever I visit your site, I have macaron envy. They're gorgeous, bright, colourful.... *sigh*. I look at my macarons and they look like rejected orphan children. They taste treat, but they lack that visual presence that yours have. And I'm sure yours taste leaps and bounds with amazingness.

I just got the I <3 Macaron book and I'd have to agree: pretty to look at, not great in terms of any kind of instruction.

My twins were reading your blog with me. One said, "I love the krispy outside of the macaron." The other twin said, "I love the creamy insides." This sums up my identical twins completely. They are very different but when together make a completely wonderful combination!